The Scientific Revolution
System of thought, based on the belief that reason is the chief source of knowledge.
Rationalism
Belief that there is a god, who created an ordered and rational world but does not take a personal interest in it. God is compared to a clock-maker.
Deism
A system in which rulers tried to govern by Enlightenment principles while maintaining their full royal powers.
Enlightened Absolutism
A description of the Universe with Earth at the center. The Sun, Moon, stars, and planets all orbited Earth
Geocentric
Scientist/Astronomer who was ordered by the Roman Catholic church to cease claiming that the Earth revolved around the Sun.
Galileo Galilee
Enlightenment thinker whose name is also a delicious breakfast food.
Francis Bacon
Name for the Seven Years War in North America.
The French & Indian War
An artistic style that replaced the baroque style in the 1730’s.
Rococo
Scientist who conceived of the Universal law of gravitation.
Isaac Newton
Enlightenment thinker who was an avid critic of the Roman Catholic church and a Deist.
Voltaire
Austrian empress who worked to centralize the government.
Maria Teresa
Considered by many historians to be the first world war in human history.
The Seven Years War
German mathematician who used detailed astronomical data to arrive at his laws of planetary motion.
Johannes Kepler
The founder of Methodism, who emphasized experiencing mystical sensations.
John Wesley
Austrian monarch whose epitaph read, "Here lies______ who was unfortunate in all of his enterprises."
Joseph II
Astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun, which is at the center of the Solar System.
Heliocentric
Writer of, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.
Nicolaus Copernicus
The creator of the first encyclopedia.
Diderot
Russian czarina who took control of the government after her husband was assassinated by his guards.
Catherine the Great
Hands off style of governing, especially in regards to business and economics.
Laissez-faire